what's the best way to store this?? and for how long does it keep??

I am confused as to why everyone says this caramel doesn't work...If you follow in instructions stated it works PERFECT!! And delicious! When you add the cream and butter, it does clump into a big hard sugar ball, but then it states to put it back on the heat and bring to a boil...which it then melts back to a liquid and you have a perfect caramel! I think everyone just gave up after it clumped and didnt finish what the recipe actually said!

Ready to make these scrumptious bars for a second time. They really do taste like twix bars. I did combine the milk and dark as another reviewer had suggested and agree this was a good choice. A great way to use up odds of gourmet chocolate bars! These are a must for a dinner party or a simple get together. My colleague at work loved them too.

Like at twix bar, and so Rich

These bars are fantastic. A couple of things I would change next time: 1. Prick the shortbread before baking to prevent air bubbles. 2. Use a mixture of milk and dark chocolate to cut some of the sweetness from the caramel. I had no issues with the caramel as written in the recipe.

i had trouble with the caramel too, esp, as i live in Denver, and i imagine the high altitude has something to do it. (i have similar issues when i make creme caramel, but the caramel there requires a great deal of water, not like this). the water evaporated and i was left with a hard pile of sugar that didn't melt again. Advice welcome!

This recipe is genius. I don't know what inspired me to make it mid-summer as they're much more "holiday" feeling but I'm glad I experimented to discover it worked. Previous posters gave good advice to NOT put water into the sugar. I found a youtube vid on how to carmelize sugar and it was so darn easy! I let the cookie bottom cool for about 15 minutes before pouring candy layer on= no sliding caramel. Best of out fridge but still great at room temp- just gooier. Sprinkled lots of salt-sublime

Delicious! This process for making caramel is not easy. Mine never turned amber, even after cooking 30min. All I had was a mess. So, I listened to the prev reviews and made caramel w/out the water,super easy. I highly recommend watching a video on line as one of the other reviews says. i suggest: http://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?p=how+to+caramelize+sugar Also, if you're using the standard 9X11 pan, you'll want to double the shortbread but one batch of chocolate caramel is enough.

I had trouble with the caramel ... tried it 3 times before I found a tip which recommended adding a 1/4 tsp lemon juice which helped keep it from crystallizing ... the bars are in the fridge and I hope the chocolate caramel topping does not slide off the cookie crust when I cut into them tomorrow

I made these last year as part of my Christmas cookie "gifts". They were far and away the surefire favorite of everyone! People are still talking about them and begging me to include them this year. Despite one review, this caramel never hardens as much as others and does need refrigeration. Follow the directions, but stir the sugar/water just until dissolved. Then don't stir again. Occasionally swirl the pan to get the color going. Use the pastry brush to clean the sides of the pan. Great